Winnipeg's culinary scene is so hot, we needed two weeks to dish out 2013's highlights

Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 1/1/2014 (1323 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

All of last week's nominees for the best restaurants reviewed in 2013 were rated four stars or more, but it's a measure of how much more the city has to offer that another column was necessary. Some that didn't make last week's list actually had four stars; others -- because they are very modest or limited operations -- had no stars at all, but, as is often the case, the stars don't always tell the whole story.

Chef Leighton Fontaine's sophisticated breakfast and lunch dishes (served all day) at the OSBORNE VILLAGE CAFE come as a delightful surprise in the unlikely setting of the Osborne Village Inn. His flair for detail turns out juicy cheeseburgers with house-made tomato jam; a superb club sandwich with pork belly instead of bacon; and a poutine with fresh-cooked turkey enlivened by the house cranberry chutney. Another must is the puffy Hipster Omelette folded over cheddar, avocado, curried chickpeas and mushrooms. 160 Osborne St., 204-452-9824, ext. 217.

VIENA DO CASTELOis a special case. Part grocery store, part source of a much expanded repertoire of delicious Portuguese cooked foods for takeout (the motherlode is on Saturdays) and part tiny cafe where you can sample such specialties as bifana sandwiches of marinated pork with caramelized onions, and such daily specials as a burger of the great house-made courico, wine-sauced pork tenderloin, stewed octopus or the glorious piri piri chicken. And don't miss the exquisite pastries -- little chocolate-mocha, carrot or honey cakes and custard or coconut tarts are only a few. 819 Sargent Ave., 204-415-4615.

At COME 'N EAT CAFE, in Neechi Common, some must-tries include Métis meatballs with gravy, the fantastic wild rice croquettes bound with sweet potatoes, the warm wild rice pudding and the fluffy pancakes with blueberries. Moreover, this bright new supermarket is a fine source for wild rice, wild blueberries and such delicacies as smoked sunfish tails and smoked catfish strips, not to mention the terrific-when-toasted Red River Cereal bread. 865 Main St., 204-949-1338.

For an elegant, served-at-table brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, MISE offers puff pastry filled with mushrooms, bacon, cheddar and shirred egg yolks, topped by a fragile meringue, or eggs Benedict in a perfect hollandaise, or crepes filled with seafood and topped by cheddar. 842 Corydon Ave., 204-284-7916. You can have breakfast/brunch all day, any day, at BERNSTEIN'S, where the fabled potato latkes are given a marvellous new twist in the Stacker of latkes, corned beef, poached eggs and swiss cheese, or go for the also-new hot, hand-cut house-made corned beef on rye. 1700 Corydon Ave., 204-488-4552.

There were so many other great dishes, and (space being what it is) the following are only a few of the possibilities. Trying to choose among CAFE CE SOIR's French pastries can give you a headache (I was partial to the Gateau Basque pastry with cherries and a chocolate cream), but I also loved the full-bodied, port-spiked onion soup. 937 Portage Ave., 204-414-7647. PAPPAS' cinnamon-scented moussaka was downright sumptuous and the all-meat pizza on a thin, pliable crust was one of the year's best. 3318 Roblin Blvd., 204-889-5504.

To see the location of this restaurant as well as others reviewed in the Winnipeg Free Press, please see the map below or click here.

Restaurants marked with a red flag were rated between 0.5 to 2.5 stars; yellow flags mark those rated between 2.5 to 4 stars; and green flags mark those rated rated 4.5 to 5 stars. Locations marked with a yellow dot were not assigned a star rating.

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